Jalen Brunson

Jalen Brunson

Personal information
Born August 31, 1996
New Brunswick, New Jersey
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight 190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school Stevenson (Lincolnshire, Illinois)
College Villanova (Committed)
Position Point guard
Number 15
Career highlights and awards
  • All-American (Jordan, McDs, USAT) (2015)
  • Nike Hoop Summit (2015)
  • Lake County career scoring record
  • 2X Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year (2014, 2015)
  • IHSA playoffs single-game scoring record (56)
  • IHSA 4A title game scoring record (30)
  • IHSA Class 4A Championship (2015)
  • IHSA Class 4A final four (2013, 2014, 2015)
  • USAB single-game U18 assist record (13)
  • AP 4A All-State (2014 & 2015: 1st team, 2013: 2nd team)
  • Illinois Mrs. Basketball (2015)
  • McDonald's All-American Game Skills Competition champion (2015)

Jalen Brunson (born August 31, 1996) is an American basketball player who has lil' tip and who is ranked among the top point guards in the national class of 2015 by Rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPN. He has completed his senior season for Stevenson High School in the 2014–15 academic year and has committed to play for the Villanova Wildcats men's basketball where he will be a freshman for the 2015–16 team after he plays in various all-star games and in service to Team USA.

According to ESPN, he ended his junior year of high school as the number one point guard in the country and prior to his senior year he was rated number one by Scout.com. He was selected as the 2014 Illinois Boys Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year. He was selected to participate in the 2015 McDonald's All-American Boys Game as well as the 2015 Jordan Brand Classic and to represent the Team USA in the Nike Hoop Summit. As a senior he repeated as the 2015 Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year and earned a third Associated Press All-state recognition (2nd first team). That year, he led Stevenson to the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class 4A championship. Following the season, he won Illinois Mr. Basketball.

Brunson holds the IHSA playoff single-game and the IHSA Class 4A championship game scoring records and set the USA Basketball single-game assist record for the FIBA Americas Under-18 Championships. He is the son of nine-year National Basketball Association (NBA) veteran Rick Brunson.

Early life

Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Brunson was raised in southern New Jersey until sixth grade. He is the son of Rick and Sandra Brunson.[1] He has a sister Erica (born c. 2000/01).[2] His parents met at Temple University where Rick played for the Owls men's basketball team and Sandra played volleyball.[1] Rick went on to spend nine seasons in the NBA.[2] The family first settled in Cherry Hill, New Jersey but moved seven times before settling in Lincolnshire, Illinois in 2010 where Jalen played his high school career for Stevenson High School.[1]

High school career

Brunson in the 2013 IHSA Class 4A championship game

As a freshman, Brunson was an All-Lake County honorable mention selection in 2012,[3] as Stevenson finished the season with a 17–11 record.[4] During his sophomore season, Stevenson started the season 10–4 before going on a 19-game winning streak.[5] That year, Brunson led Stevenson to the March 16, 2013 IHSA Class 4A championship game against Jabari Parker and Kendrick Nunn's three-time defending state champion Simeon Career Academy, where he got the Simeon backcourt in foul trouble in the first half before being held to one point in the second half of a 58–40 loss. Stevenson finished the season 29–5.[6] Following the season, the Associated Press named him to the Class 4A All-state second team as the only sophomore on the first or second team.[7] Brunson averaged 21.5 points that season.[8]

Brunson in the 2014 IHSA Class 4A consolation game

On February 21, 2014, junior Brunson scored 57 points in a double overtime victory over Lake Forest High School. The performance gave him both the school single-game and career scoring records.[9][10] On March 21, Brunson set the IHSA playoff single game scoring record against the Jahlil Okafor-led Whitney Young High School by scoring 56 points in a 75–68 state playoff semifinal loss.[11] In the game, still images of a movement by Brunson appeared to be an obscene gesture, but video of the gesture were deemed to be inconclusive and an initial suspension for the subsequent consolation game was overturned.[12][13] Brunson averaged 26.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.9 steals for a Stevenson team that finished the season with a 32–2 record.[14][8] Two members of his high school team were National Football League athletes' offspring: Matt Morrissey and Cameron Green.[9] Brunson was named Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Illinois as a junior.[15] Following the season, Associated Press named him as the only non-senior on the Class 4A All-state first team that also included Okafor, Cliff Alexander, Tyler Ulis and Sean O'Mara.[16] He finished fourth in the 2014 Illinois Mr. Basketball voting.[17] In April 2014, Illinois, Purdue, Kansas and Villanova had in-home visits.[18] On May 3, 2014, he announced the eight schools that he was considering playing college basketball for: UConn, Michigan State, Illinois, Kansas, Purdue, Villanova, Michigan and Temple.[19] That summer he was the number one rated point guard according to ESPN,[1] although the class had a notable shortage of elite pure point guards.[20] On June 25—the day after Jalen won a gold medal at the FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship—Rick Brunson received an offer as an on-bench assistant coach from Temple.[21] The Temple offer fell through when Rick Brunson was arrested on various charges on July 25, and Temple fell out of the running for Jalen's services.[22][23] Brunson participated in the July 9–11 LeBron James Skills Academy.[24] On August 5, he announced official visits to Illinois on August 29–31, Villanova on September 4–6 and then Temple from September 11–13 and on August 9, he announced official visits to Michigan State from September 19–21 and Purdue on September 26–28.[25]

On September 8, Brunson announced that he would be curtailing his recruitment and making his decision between Illinois and Villanova on September 10.[26] On that date, Brunson committed to Villanova.[23][27][28] At the time of his decision, he was ranked as the number one point guard in the national class of 2015 by Scout.com.[22] Stevenson was a preseason top-10 team in the MaxPreps national high school rankings.[29] A lot was expected of Brunson's team after losing to teams led by Parker and Okafor in the IHSA tournament final four in 2013 and 2014 even though no team from Lake County has ever won a state basketball championship.[8] The team rattled off 11 straight victories to start the season before losing 88–81 to Chaminade Prep and its star Jayson Tatum in the Cancer Research Classic in Wheeling, WV, despite 48 points from Brunson.[30][31][32] On January 17, Brunson and Stevenson faced Derryck Thornton, Jr. and Findlay Prep at the Hoophall Classic. At the time, Brunson was the number 3 ranked point guard in the class of 2015 and Thornton was the number 2 ranked point guard in the class of 2016 for the number 1 team in the country according to USA Today.[33] Findlay, who was led by Arizona signee Allonzo Trier's 27 points, held Brunson to 26 in the second loss of the season for Stevenson,[34] who had been 15–1.[35] On January 28, he was named to the 2015 McDonald's All-American Boys Game roster,[36] becoming the second player from Lake County to earn such recognition.[37] On February 2, he was named to the 11-man Team USA for the Nike Hoop Summit.[38] On February 21, Stevenson lost to Simeon as Brunson posted 25 points on 9–24 shooting, ending a 22-game in-state streak in a game that featured the top two teams in the state.[39] The Simeon frontline featured three Big Ten Conference signees: D. J. Williams (Illinois), Ed Morrow (Nebraska) and Isaiah Moss (Iowa).[40] On March 5, he was named to the Jordan Brand Classic roster.[41]

Brunson scoring the first 3 of his IHSA Class 4A title game record 30 points in 2015

On March 17, Brunson helped Stevenson qualify for a third consecutive appearance in the IHSA final four with a victory over Riverside Brookfield Township High School. In the game, Brunson became the Lake County career scoring record holder.[42][43] On March 19, Brunson received the highest vote total for the Illinois Class 4A Associated Press All-state team.[44] On March 20, he repeated as Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year.[45] Brunson led Stevenson to the IHSA final four for a third consecutive time, but he led the team to the first state championship by a Lake county school with an IHSA Class 4A title-game record 30 points in a 57-40 victory over Normal Community High School. Brunson was 9-for-15 from the field and 9-for-9 from the free throw line.[46][47] 2015 was Lake county's ninth consecutive year with a team reaching the IHSA final four; Stevenson became the first school in the large school division and the third school overall to win IHSA football and basketball state championships in the same year.[48] The win got him out of the shadow of IHSA final four losses to Parker- and Okafor-led teams.[49] Following the season, he won Illinois Mr. Basketball with 552 points and 99 of the 132 first place votes ahead of fellow Jordan Brand All-American selection Charles Matthews who had 157 points.[37] Brunson finished his senior season with averages of 23.3 points, 5.2 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game and with shooting percentages of 38% on three point shots and 83% on free throws.[37] At the March 30 POWERADE Jam Fest associated with the McDonalds All-American game, Brunson won the skills competition over finalists Carlton Bragg and Isaiah Briscoe and was a finalist for the three-point shooting contest.[50][51] Brunson was a third team USA Today All-USA high school basketball team selection.[52] In the April 11 Nike Hoops Summit, Brunson had 12 points and 7 assists in a 103–101 loss.[53][54][55] In the April 17 Jordan Brand Classic, Brunson had a game-high 3 steals.[56] He finished his high school career ranked #16 in the ESPN 100 and as the #2 point guard (behind Isaiah Briscoe).[57]

Scouting report

Brunson, like his father, is a left-handed basketball player.[14] In what is regarded as a weak point guard class, Brunson is the only true point guard that was ranked in the top 25 players at the conclusion of the class of 2015's junior season.[58] In addition to high ratings by the recruiting services, Brunson's peers voted him to be the best passer in high school basketball prior to his senior season.[59] At the time of his September 2014 commitment to Villanova, he was described by ESPN writer Reggie Rankin as "a left-handed, pass-first lead guard that excels at running his team and can also score as needed".[27] ESPN's Paul Biancardi also used the "pass-first point guard" description.[28]

Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jalen Brunson
PG		 Lincolnshire, IL Stevenson (IL) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sep 10, 2014 
Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 90
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 16, 1 (IL), 1 (PG)   Rivals: 15, 5 (G)  ESPN: 16, 1 (IL), 2 (PG)
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

International play

On May 5, 2014, USA Basketball announced the 21 athletes (including Brunson) invited to try out from June 10 to June 19 for the 12-member USA national team for the June 20–24, 2014 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship.[60] Eventually, 24 players tried out for the team and the roster was cut to 15 on June 12.[61] Brunson made the final 12-man roster that was announced on June 15.[62] In the opening game, Brunson surpassed Stephon Marbury's 12 assists against Brazil in the 1994 FIBA Americas U18 Championship by recording 13 against Uruguay to set a new USA Basketball U18 single-game assist record.[63][64] The United States claimed a gold medal in the tournament.[65] On August 16, 2014, Brunson was named to the Nike Global Challenge USA All-Tournament team along with Stephen Zimmerman, D. J. Hogg, Malik Monk, Jaylen Brown and Edrice Adebayo.[66][67] Brunson led the midwest team to a third-place finish in the eight-team tournament.[26]

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Breen, Matt (2014-06-21). "Temple, Villanova on Jalen Brunson's list". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philly.com. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Jalen Brunson". USA Basketball. 2014-06-15. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  3. ↑ McGraw, Patricia Babcock (2012-03-08). "Boys basketball all-area team: Lake County". Daily Herald. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  4. ↑ Pemstein, Bill (2012-03-02). "Boys Basketball: Stevenson finishes season with 17 wins". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  5. ↑ Narang, Bob (2013-03-14). "Boys hoops | 4A state preview: Stevenson's Brunson more than designer genes". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  6. ↑ Kane, Colleen (2013-03-16). "4A final: Four certain: Simeon wins 4th straight state title". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  7. ↑ "Silver Streaks' Gibson All-State honorable mention". The Register-Mail. 2013-03-14. Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Helfgot, Mike (2014-11-27). "Boys basketball preview: Goodbye, big men. Hello, point guards.". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2014-12-26.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Narang, Bob (2014-03-10). "Tribune/WGN-Ch. 9 Athlete of the Month | Stevenson's Jalen Brunson: Junior (28.9 ppg in February) looking to lead Patriots back to 4A state final". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  10. ↑ Harness, Matt (2014-03-27). "Pioneer Press Boys Basketball Player of the Year: Jalen Brunson". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  11. ↑ Helfgot, Mike (2014-03-21). "Stevenson's Brunson gets record, but Young, Okafor get victory". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  12. ↑ Helfgot, Mike (2014-03-22). "Stevenson third after Brunson cleared to play by IHSA". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  13. ↑ Phillips, Scott (2014-03-22). "IHSA reverses Brunson suspension". Comcast SportsNet Chicago. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Hunt, Donald (2014-06-23). "Jalen Brunson following father Rick's footsteps". Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  15. ↑ "Stevenson's Brunson Gatorade Player of Year". Daily Herald. 2014-03-21. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  16. ↑ "Boys hoops | AP announces 3A, 4A all-state teams". Chicago Tribune. 2014-03-20. Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  17. ↑ Helfgot, Mike (2014-04-05). "Mr. Basketball of Illinois 2014 | Young's Jahlil Okafor". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  18. ↑ Piper, Derek (2014-05-05). "Four In-Home Visits For Brunson In April". 247sports.com. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  19. ↑ Johnson, Raphielle (2014-05-03). "Five-star 2015 point guard Jalen Brunson announces eight finalists". NBC Sports. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  20. ↑ Borzello, Jeff (2014-05-01). "Jalen Brunson guns for top billing at the point guard spot". CBS Sports. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  21. ↑ Breen, Matt (2014-06-25). "Source: Rick Brunson set to join Temple staff". Philly.com. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Kern, Mike (2014-09-11). "Top prospect Brunson commits to Villanova". Philly.com. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Borzello, Jeff (2014-09-10). "Breakdown: Five-star Jalen Brunson commits to Villanova". CBS Sports. Retrieved 2014-09-12.
  24. ↑ Kaskey-Blomain, Michael (2014-07-09). "Jalen Brunson aims to impress at LeBron James Skills Academy". Philly.com. Retrieved 2014-07-14.
  25. ↑ Payne, Terrence (2014-08-09). "Five-star point guard Jalen Brunson sets all five official visits". NBC Sports. Retrieved 2014-08-13.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Narang, Bob (2014-09-08). "Stevenson's Jalen Brunson to pick between Illinois, Villanova". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2014-09-12.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Rankin, Reggie (2014-09-10). "Jalen Brunson commits to Villanova". ESPN. Retrieved 2014-09-12.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Biancardi, Paul (2014-09-10). "Scout's Take: Top-25 Brunson to Nova". ESPN. Retrieved 2014-09-12.
  29. ↑ Hickman, Jason (2014-11-04). "MaxPreps 2014-15 Preseason Top 25 high school boys basketball rankings". MaxPreps. Retrieved 2014-12-03.
  30. ↑ Halley, Jim (2015-01-06). "Chaminade (St. Louis) star Jayson Tatum leads ALL-USA Performances of the Week". USA Today. Retrieved 2015-01-06.
  31. ↑ Helfgot, Mike (2015-01-02). "Boys basketball blog: Stevenson soaring, but don't count out Lake Forest". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2015-01-06.
  32. ↑ Kvidahl, David (2015-01-02). "Chaminade hands nationally ranked Stevenson first loss". STLToday.com. Retrieved 2015-01-06.
  33. ↑ Jordan, Jason (2015-01-16). "Spalding Hoophall Classic's top five most intriguing matchups". USA Today. Retrieved 2015-01-19.
  34. ↑ Halley, Jim (2015-01-17). "No. 2 Roselle Catholic loses second consecutive game while No. 1 Findlay Prep rolls". USA Today. Retrieved 2015-01-19.
  35. ↑ Helfgot, Mike (2015-01-16). "Boys basketball: Jalen Brunson scores 41 as No. 1 Stevenson holds off Lake Forest". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2015-01-19.
  36. ↑ Borzello, Jeff (2015-01-28). "East, West rosters unveiled". ESPN. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 Mayor, Rich (2015-03-24). "Boys basketball: Stevenson's Jalen Brunson wins Mr. Basketball of Illinois". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2015-03-25.
  38. ↑ Phillips, Scott (2015-02-02). "Team USA roster announced for Nike Hoop Summit". CBS Sports. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
  39. ↑ Helfgot, Mike (2015-02-21). "Boys basketball: No. 2 Simeon takes down top-ranked Stevenson". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
  40. ↑ McGavin, Kevin (2014-12-31). "Simeon trumps West Aurora in Pontiac semi". Daily Herald. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
  41. ↑ "Rosters set for Jordan Brand Classic for boys and girls". USA Today. 2015-03-05. Retrieved 2015-03-12.
  42. ↑ McGraw, Patricia Babcock (2015-03-17). "Stevenson earns return engagement downstate". Daily Herald. Retrieved 2015-03-18.
  43. ↑ Helfgot, Mike (2015-03-17). "Boys basketball: Stevenson beats Riverside-Brookfield, rolls back to state". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2015-03-18.
  44. ↑ "AP All-State 3A, 4A Boys Basketball List". San Francisco Chronicle. Associated Press. 2015-03-19. Retrieved 2015-03-21.
  45. ↑ Narang, Bob (2015-03-20). "Boys basketball: After season, Morgan Park's LoVett to tackle recruitment". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2015-03-21.
  46. ↑ Helfgot, Mike (2015-03-21). "Boys basketball: Jalen Brunson, Stevenson win first state title". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2015-03-23.
  47. ↑ Reynolds, Dave (2015-03-22). "Stevenson all-stater Jalen Brunson does talking on court". The Journal Star. Retrieved 2015-03-23.
  48. ↑ Helfgot, Mike (2015-03-21). "Stevenson beats Normal to win Class 4A state title". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  49. ↑ O'Brien, Michael (2015-03-21). "Jalen Brunson, Stevenson win Class 4A state title". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2015-03-24.
  50. ↑ Jordan, Jason (2014-03-30). "Jalen Brunson wins skills competition at McDonald's All American Game". USA Today. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
  51. ↑ Jordan, Jason (2014-03-30). "Ohio sharpshooter Luke Kennard takes 3-point title at McDonald's All American Game". USA Today. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
  52. ↑ "ALL-USA Boys Basketball: Second and Third teams". USA Today. 2015-03-31. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
  53. ↑ Johnson, Raphielle (2015-04-11). "Jamal Murray, Skal Labissiere lead World past USA at Nike Hoop Summit". NBC Sports. Retrieved 2015-04-13.
  54. ↑ "Duke's Luke Kennard scores 22; U.S. falls to World Selects". ESPN. Associated Press. 2015-04-11. Retrieved 2015-04-13.
  55. ↑ "Nike Hoops Summit (box score)". FIBA. 2015-04-11. Retrieved 2015-04-13.
  56. ↑ "2015 Jordan Brand Classic Box Score and Recap". Analyzed Sports. 2015-04-17. Retrieved 2015-04-20.
  57. ↑ "2015 ESPN 100". ESPN. Retrieved 2015-04-21.
  58. ↑ Dauster, Rob (2014-04-30). "Mixtape of Jalen Brunson, the top PG in Class of 2015 (VIDEO)". NBC Sports. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  59. ↑ Jordan, Jason (2014-08-18). "Elite hoopers make their picks for AAU awards and superlatives". USA Today. Retrieved 2014-08-20.
  60. ↑ "USA Basketball Announces U18 Training Camp Roster". SLAM Magazine. 2014-05-05. Retrieved 2014-05-16.
  61. ↑ "15 Finalists Selected For 2014 USA Men's U18 National Team". USA Basketball. 2014-06-12. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  62. ↑ "USA Men's U18 National Team Selected". USA Basketball. 2014-06-15. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
  63. ↑ "2014 USA Basketball Men's U18 National Team Races To Record-Setting 156-58 Opening Victory Over Uruguay". USA Basketball. 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  64. ↑ "2014 Uruguay v. USA". FIBA. 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  65. ↑ "USA Basketball Men's U18 National Team Claims 2014 FIBA Americas U18 Championship Gold Medal With 113-79 Victory Over Canada". USA Basketball. 2014-06-24. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
  66. ↑ "USA West Defeats USA East in Nike Global Challenge Game". Nike, Inc. 2014-08-18. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
  67. ↑ Kinsky, Alec (2014-08-16). "Nike Global All-Tournament Team: USA". D1Circuit.com. Retrieved 2014-08-19.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jalen Brunson.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Jahlil Okafor		 Illinois Mr. Basketball Award Winner
2015 		Succeeded by
current